There are all kinds of activities on the go in Newtown for the Women’s Day weekend, from dance and poetry to jazz, exhibitions and book launches.
Mary Fitzgerald Square – traditional dance
9 August
Festivities start at 9am with a traditional dance programme on Mary Fitzgerald Square presented by ACUMDA and the Gauteng Province of Sport, Arts, Recreation and Culture. Mosadi Otswara Thipa Kabohaleng celebrates women’s right to be, as well as acknowledging their efforts in social life and nation building. This promises to be an experience of extravagant costume and colour, of soothing traditional music with finely crafted dance choreography. Exuberant performances will be done by girls, young women and women.
Sci-Bono Discovery Centre – free entrance to women and girls on Women’s Day
9 August
Sci-Bono will be offering a free visit to the discovery centre for all women on Women’s Day. This will include the group of people that they visit with, whether it is a group of friends or their families. In addition to being able to enjoy some of the most interesting and interactive exhibits in the country, they will be able to enjoy extraordinary science shows and some fun hands-on science workshops.
Moving into Dance – The Woman in Me
9 August
Moving into Dance is hosting a dance workshop from 10am to 12 noon at their new building on President Street. The theme is ‘The Woman in Me’. It is a celebration of womanhood through dance and creative movement, a time for woman to get away from their routines and focus on themselves being the powerhouses that they are in family and society. All women are welcome and the workshop is free of charge.
The Lab – Pages of Dedication
9 August
Gladys Agulhas Theatre Works presents Pages of Dedication, a collaboration including dancers from Agulhas Theatre Works learnership programme, children and senior citizens from Eldo’s. There will be performances at 1pm and 5pm on 9 August at The Market Laboratory.
Bassline – Sibikwa Women Word Slam
9 August
Also on 9 August between 12pm and 6pm at the Bassline emerging poets will participate in a word slam about women. This event is part of a festival hosted by the Sibikwa Arts Centre and this year’s theme is Seriti sa basadi or women’s dignity. Young female poets from the Basadi group in Kwa-Zulu Natal will make their second appearance in Gauteng. A new group of poets from Free State who recently appeared at the Grahamstown National Festival of the Arts will be participating. From Gauteng we have Sistah Raphulu, Buwa Africa and Poets of Light amongst others. Throughout the event an open stage will be available for poets to buy the ‘mic’ for R5 for a five minute slot. A DJ will keep the energy going throughout the afternoon. Audiences can expect to be wowed by the talent. The festival continues at the Sibikwa Arts Centre in Benoni on Monday 10th August 2009 from 10am to 4:30pm.
Sci-Bono Auditorium – Mini film festival
9 August
A film programme including screenings and discussions with directors and producers supported by the Gauteng Film Commission will take place in the new auditorium at the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre on 9 August at 3pm. Various industry practitioners will be available to interact with young women with an interest in joining the film industry.
Xarra Books – Launch of The 30th Candle
9 August
A new book entitled ‘The 30th Candle’ by Angela Makholwa will be launched at Xarra Books at 2pm.
Museum Africa – The Jozi Book Fair
8 and 9 August
The Jozi Book Fair hosted by Khanya College and Botsotso Publishers takes place all day on 8 and 9 August at Museum Africa. The book fair brings together publishers, writers, translators, book distributors, libraries, resource centres, readers and the general public. The programme includes book launches, conversations, poetry readings and panel discussions. A full programme can be viewed by visiting www.newtown.co.za.
Museum Africa – Face Her
9 August
Face Her, a photograph exhibition opening at Museum Africa on Sunday afternoon at 4pm, showcases the work of emerging photographers from the Market Photo Workshop, inviting a dialogue about women’s lives and gender in our society. The images presented here show us faces we’ve seen before, so many archetypes and bear witness to the experiences of women across a multiplicity of locales, roles and ages. They also reflect on the lives, dreams and aspirations of these photographers as the new observers, producers and commentators. All too often, the ways in which people portray others is a reflection on the ways in which they choose to portray themselves. Here we celebrate women, in a fragment of time, in a slice of light, in Southern Africa.
1 Central Place Courtyard – Photographic projections
9 August
The Market Photo Workshop is presenting a public screening of select photographic works in celebration of Women’s day on Sunday. The screening will take place in the courtyard of No 1 Central Place, Newtown, from 8pm to 10pm. The works being screened are all drawn from previous group exhibitions, curated by the Market Photo Workshop, which were exhibited as part of previous Newtown Women in Arts Festivals. Included in the screening are works from celebrated photographers and Photo Workshop alumni such as Nonsikelelo Veleko, Zanele Muholi, Sabelo Mlangeni, Tracy Edser, and Musa Nxumalo among others. Works from exhibitions as varied as In Transit, Chances are, Face her, and Seeing Women are going to be screened. Each exhibition, approached thematically, contains work geared towards a curatorial approach that responds to issues around gender roles, women and the social environments they occupy. No 1 Central Place has convenient underground parking available and is across the road from Mary Fitzgerald Square.
Mary Fitzgerald Square, Jeppe Street – The Fast Art Girls
9 August
The Fast Art Girls will surprise and delight. After intense mayhem caused on the sidewalk outside Joburg Art Fair earlier this year, the Fast Art Girls will again make a much-demanded second appearance in their flashy cheap art-sauce trailer during the Newtown Celebrates Women’s Day weekend - on Sunday night outside Cappellos on Jeppe Street. The Fast Art Girls with their Fast Art Trailer, exchange their ideas about Art, Value and Viennas. A range of their exclusive, authentic artworks is available, to anyone wanting to engage with them. Don’t miss the opportunity to acquire one of their sought after and highly valuable products.
Nikki’s Oasis – Women in Jazz
8 and 9 August
Nikki’s Oasis presents ‘Women in Jazz’ with the Hlulani Hlangwane Quartet. Hlulani is a South African born female Jazz singer, arranger, and composer who has dedicated her life to music. Whilst studying jazz at the University of Cape Town, she performed in venues around Cape Town with a trio of students she had met at UCT. Her style is varied – she mixes soul and R&B into her sets and when she isn’t performing, she is usually composing contemporary music or arranging jazz standards. The band will perform at 20h00 on Saturday 8 July and at 16h00 on Sunday 9 August.
Sophiatown Bar Lounge
9 August
Sophiatown Wathint’ umfazi wathint imbokodo is offering free neck and shoulder rubs for all women customers, live music and poetry by Jesica, the song poet.
Ko’Spotong
9 August
At Ko’Spotong there will also be free neck and shoulder rubs for women, live music by pop Idol finalist, Thabs, poetry by ‘Buya Afrika’ and a female DJ line up.
Cappello
9 August
Basadi@Cappello starts at 2pm on 9 August with a chocolate fountain, complimentary drinks for women on arrival and female DJs to get you into a party mood.
